Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. What has been the response to the Albanese Labor government's workplace relations reforms, which have helped Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fraser for the question. I appreciated the opportunity to be with him in his electorate only a couple of weeks ago, looking at some of the jobs programs that we've got there, because the first response that comes to workplace relations policies is actually: what's the response that's happening on the ground? We were told the response was going to be a huge increase in unemployment. That's what we were told was going to happen, and now the results are in.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unemployment is down to 3.7 per cent—116,000 new jobs. That's 790,000 new jobs under this Prime Minister. That's 790,000 people in a job who weren't, 790,000 people who are now earning more—

and keeping more of what they earn under the polices of the Albanese—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will just pause a moment. This yelling across the chamber is not going to continue. The Treasurer and the shadow Treasurer, trust me, can take their conversation outside. They will not continue with that sort of behaviour. The noise is far too great. I'm just telling everyone: it's far too loud. The yelling's got to stop. There'll be no more yelling today, or there'll be actions. The minister will continue.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In those figures, wages are up, inflation is down, jobs are up, and unemployment is down, and it's in no small part—because the theory we were told, 'If you pay people more, they'll all lose their jobs,' was simply not true. It was just another excuse to try to argue for low wages.

But the shouting that happened earlier in the question wasn't the only anger that's happened, because the Business Council were the ones that copped it last night, we're told. In the speech from the Leader of the Opposition, it was the Business Council he was angry with, because business wasn't being angry with him at this government and business wasn't making the complaints that he wanted. So I went back and thought: When was the last time the Leader of the Opposition actually led the complaints in the parliament on the issue? When did he or his party actually ask a question about workplace relations? It would be unfair to say they've have asked me none, because they did ask one in September 2022. Now, since that time, it's not like the government has done much in workplace relations. Except for the closing loopholes bill, except for the protecting of worker entitlements bill, except for closing loopholes No. 1 and closing loopholes No. 2, absolutely nothing has been done! But, in all of that, not one question. And yet they have the audacity to get angry with businesses saying, 'Well, why aren't you doing it?' The Leader of the Opposition is making the shadow Treasurer look busy in the way he's working here.

So what we have is them not wanting to be upfront about what they are targeting, because we do know they have a targeted package of repeals that they want to take to the next election that they're not willing to talk about publicly in this parliament, which are targeted against higher wages, targeted against job security, targeted against closing the gender pay gap and targeted against Australian workers.